Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1887-10-26

''Natives'' of the Island of Hilton Head.
A Strange Collection of Human IncOn-
gruity-CustOms and 1Ianners-The Hap
piest People ON the Earth.
Chapters have been written about the
negro of the coast. Today we propose to
sketch briefly his general mode of life,
without dwelling upon any one of his
characteristics. Let us take the island of
Hilton Head, which is not many miles
from Savannah and nearer still to Beau
fort, dozen miles or more of whose mag
nificent beach is washed by CalabOge
sound and the Atlantic itself. OF the
island itself, it may be said that it is
about seventeen miles in length by about
five in width; that it is barren enough TO
grow pea vines and nut grass inditferently,
and that, with the exception of perhaps
500 acres of cleared land, it is densely
covered with pine, cedar and palmetto, in
whose thickets deer, turkey and smaller
game, notably the raccOOn, abound. Ot
the people who inhabit it, much more may
be said. Several weeks ago the writer,
while temporarily seafaring, encountered
a terrific gale off Hilton Head and was
driven upon it's arid shores, where he was
forced, whether or not, to remain for
week. 1t may be well, in order the more
faithfully to describe the manners and
customs of the natives, to sketch briefly
our enforced sOjourn among them, and
this we will endeavOr to do.
''NATIvEs'' ON THE BEACL.
It was late in August when the squall
struck us. Our boat was unwieldy and
anything but seawOrthy, but with all
sails set we managed to keep her before
the wind, and clumsy as she was we flew
through the boiling breakers at a mad
rate. We crossed Broad river furiOusly,
and our landing, most dangerous feat
under such circumstances, was accom-
plshed with marvellous good luck. Hav-
ing drawn our craft into a creek, where
she found partial protection from the
gale, we turned our attention to the
natives" They had gathered upon the
beach in great numbers-men women
and children-viewing us with gaping
curiosity. Not that the sight of a boat
was novelty, but that the strange faces
in it awoke establishment, if not wonder.
The men were brawny, muscular fellows,
dressed in every variety of patched gar
ments; the women wore short frOcks,
with no head or foot dress; the larger
children of either sex boosted a single
garment, Mother Hubbard in appearance,
and the younger children, probably from
10 and under, wore Only-their skins
Amid this collection of human incon-
gruity we made our bow and begged to
be shown to the nearest hotel. An in
credulOus guffaw, that rose in chorus
above the bowling Of the wind, answered
| US, and we were pointed to the ''Islant. -
whose barrenness was decidedly intensi-
| fed by the wOebegOneness of the numer-
GUS log huts that punctuated and en-
| phasiZed it.
Except that they were adorned with
Clapboard roofs, these habitations were
models of pigpens, with hole in one end
| for a door and a clay chimney in the other.
| They had once been clayed Over-that is,
! the inch or so of space between the logs
had been stopped up with clay-but the
| clay had long since been attracted by
! gravitatiCn, and the cracks had never been
retilled. There were no floors; mother
| earth was plenty good enough. There
| were some benches and pine table, but
no chairs Everything was smoke be-
| grimed, not excepting The Police Gazette
pictures that were pasted about in i'm
| possible places. The furniture, other than
that already described, consisted for the
most part Of tin pans and cans, pots anC
| pals, dogs tanu what dogs, cats and oh
what cats, and an occasional chicken
worth quarter. There were also odors
Of dried fish, and crab like odors, and sug
| gestiOns Of mud. There were occasional
optical illusions of watermelon rinds, anC
quite often glimpse of raccoon skin
stretched proudly against some favored
square foot of smoothness. There wer,
fish scales, oyster shells, and crab back
| nlr1n1onfIvr Of ol,
p1,o he